Join the Permaculture Group at Church of the Good Shepherd (9441 Grayson PKWY, Galax VA) April 11 from 9 am to noon as they plant the plant guild to surround the asparagus plantings to be installed in the Permaculture Garden.
What is a plant guild you may be asking? Plant guilds are strategic, multi-species plant communities designed to mimic natural ecosystems, typically centered around a primary plant, often a tree but in this case asparagus crowns, to improve its health, reduce maintenance, and increase yields. Guilds often combine functional plants that fix nitrogen, accumulate nutrients, repel pests, attract pollinators, and act as mulch. In this case, the group decided to use comfrey at the outside edge for mulch materials with parsley as the primary mulch plant in the planting. Parsley is a binennial so by the time it might compete with the asparagus, it will be out of the garden. Strawberry plants will create a living mulch over time. They are shallow rooted and also attract pollinators. Herbs will make up up the remaining planting. The workshops is free, so bring a friend!
Save the dates for these 3 workshops on May 16, June 13 and July 11. They are free, but do require registration.For more information email: Permaculture@graysonlandcare.org. All workshops will be held at the Permaculture Garden.
May 16th Building Healthy Soils: Learn about the Soil Food Web & techniques for improving your soil health, including cover cropping & composting. Includes a demonstration of how to create your own compost. 9am-1pm
June 13th Growing Abundant Gardens: Explore Permaculture methods for building a food forest, planning fruit tree guilds, & distributing water with swales & rainwater catchment systems. 9am-1pm
July 11th Homesteading & Herbal Medicine: Design your homestead for abundance & discover how to utilize your forest & garden for herbal medicines. 1-4pm